Brilliance Talks

AI didn’t start with ChatGPT, and this episode proves it. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, we sit down with Vasili Nevlov, founder of Analysium and creator of AIgentic, who’s been building real-world AI systems since 2012, long before AI became mainstream. We explore what AI looked like in the early days, how Vasili scaled a multi-million-pound data analytics firm, and why AI agents... not cha...

What if the mistakes you’re about to make… have already been made? In this New Year special episode of Brilliance Talks, we’ve curated the most powerful lessons shared by CEOs and founders we featured this year, the moments that changed their thinking, leadership, and businesses. These are honest reflections on failure, growth, hiring, health, timing, and what it really takes to build something th...

What do successful entrepreneurs wish they’d known earlier? In this Brilliance Talks Christmas Special, we’ve brought together the most powerful insights shared by CEOs and founders featured on the podcast this year. From fundraising and scaling to leadership, self-belief, and resilience, this episode is a reflection on the realities of building something meaningful. Whether you’re closing out the...

She left a successful career in Big Law to fix one of the most broken systems in the UK. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Hannah Nicholson, Founder & CEO of Snapply, shares how she raised £1.5M+, rebuilt her company through a major rebrand, and is creating the Airbnb of home buying. A candid conversation about courage, fundraising winters, motherhood, and building tech with a human touch....

Livia Bernardini has built products and brands across Italy, Japan, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the UK, and now leads Future Platforms, the digital product company behind experiences for BT, EE, McKinsey and more. We get into intuition (her secret edge), product strategy, innovation traps, branding mistakes, how to build a lovable MVP, and why moving countries forces you to rebuild your ident...

From Metallica to Harvard, Toni Hopponen has quietly built tools used by some of the world’s most iconic brands. He bootstrapped Flockler, scaled it through pure product-led growth, sold it, and then, instead of retiring, started from zero again. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Toni breaks down: How he landed global brands with no sales team The emotional cost of selling a company after 12 ye...

Alex Grundy, co-founder and CEO of Spendkey, shares his journey from corporate procurement expert to AI SaaS founder. Learn how Spendkey automates years of consulting work into days, the mindset shifts required to move from corporate to founder, and how to build a global team with a winning culture. Key Takeaways: Turning experience into actionable AI products Scaling a startup globally while main...

She didn’t plan to change the world — but a single hackathon sparked a technology now giving people new ways to communicate. Dr. Hadeel Ayoub, the inventor behind BrightSign and Fiddley, joins us to share how she built AI-driven tools that translate hand signs into speech, and how a mission to help one person grew into global impact. In this episode, we unpack her founder story, the breakthrough m...

At 40, a finance guy walking away from the London Stock Exchange so he could learn to cook pasta. Sounds wild? It’s only the beginning. Meet Chris Rensell — former financier turned co-founder of Pasta Evangelists. He built a pasta brand from a kitchen in East London, scaled it into a £30-plus million business, hit Harrods, Ocado and 50+ delivery kitchens, and then got acquired by Barilla. In this...

Lena was coding neural networks before AI was cool. In this episode, she shares how she went from space research to co-founding The Good Face Project — helping beauty giants like L’Oréal and Estée Lauder build safer, faster products with AI. We talk about: Building AI before ChatGPT The rise of “World Models” Startups, burnout & resilience The future of AI in business If you’re into founders,...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, we sit down with Daniel Bulteel, co-founder of Ting — an AI platform that turns the messy back-and-forth of scheduling into real, meaningful meetings. Before founding Ting, Daniel helped scale TikTok, Live, Shopping, and CapCut globally at ByteDance, and led adidas’ social and creator strategy across 50+ markets. Now, he’s using AI to bring back what tech often...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Tatyana Mamut, CEO and co-founder of Wayfound.ai, to uncover the truth about innovation, leadership, and the human flaws shaping the future of AI. Tatyana’s journey began as a refugee fleeing conflict in Ukraine — and led her to build and lead at some of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies. Her story is a powerful reminder that tech...

hat happens when you finally make money… but don’t know how to protect it? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Taras Rebak — Partner at Fusion, a £1.8B wealth management group helping founders, entrepreneurs, and private investors structure, grow, and protect their wealth without giving up control. Taras shares 20+ years of hard-won lessons across Europe, Asia, and t...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Natalie Ruiz, CEO of AnswerConnect, to talk about what it really takes to grow into leadership from the inside out. Natalie’s story isn’t about luck or titles, it’s about resilience, vision, and building a company where people actually thrive. In this conversation: → How to grow from employee to CEO → The mindset shift every leader...

Most leaders talk about what’s possible. Kat Patterson makes it happen. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Kat Patterson, Managing Director at Art of the Possible Agency, to uncover why creativity is the most underused weapon in business—and how leaders can harness it to drive growth. 🔥 What you’ll learn in this episode: Why creativity is a leadership advantage (no...

Most entrepreneurs build products. Few build revolutions. In this episode of Brilliance Talks, host Simac Konkader sits down with Dr. Lara Zibners — board-certified pediatric emergency physician, educator, entrepreneur, and author of If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay. After enduring seven rounds of IVF, Lara experienced firsthand the emotional and physical toll of standard...

What does it take to lead real digital transformation—not just talk about it? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, host Simac Konkader sits down with Scarlett Sieber, one of the most influential women in fintech, blockchain, and digital strategy. Scarlett’s career spans startups to global enterprises. She co-founded Infomous, a data visualization tech used by the Olympics, NFL, The Economist, The...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, host Simac Konkader sits down with Charlie Goodchild — Founder of Better, host of the Better Never Ends podcast, and a leader in physiotherapy, sports medicine, and healthcare innovation. With years of experience leading large clinical teams, working in elite sports, and helping people recover from complex injuries, Charlie shares how he transitioned from physi...

“I made a commitment: whatever career I chose, it had to be focused on saving lives.” In this episode of Brilliance Talks, I sit down with Cal Beyer—a national leader in workplace mental health, suicide prevention, and safety. For more than 30 years, Cal has been at the forefront of reshaping how industries, especially construction, approach human connection, well-being, and leadership. We cover:...

What if your best salesperson wasn’t human? In this episode of Brilliance Talks with Simac Konkader, we sit down with [Name], Founder & CEO of Launched, a trailblazing B2B sales and marketing platform that’s changing how companies drive growth. With £541,164.60 in pre-seed funding secured and a £3 million seed round on the horizon, Launched is already making waves by introducing Nova — a human...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks with Simac Konkader, Ben shares his journey from the newsroom to building a multi-million-pound PR and media empire. From launching Jam Press, a NAPA-accredited news agency, to scaling JamPrime into a leading PR firm trusted by high-profile entrepreneurs, Ben reveals the storytelling, strategy, and mindset behind his success. With features across national and in...

Manni Chopra is a multiple award-winning property developer, investor, author, mentor, and speaker and she’s on a mission to help 1 MILLION people achieve financial abundance through property investing. In this episode of Brilliance Talks with Simac Konkader, Manni shares her journey of completing 30+ property projects, raising over £4.5 million from private investors, and winning prestigious awar...

What happens when clarity meets execution? In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Bill Harper — a seasoned CEO coach and business strategist known for helping leaders cut through the noise and actually deliver results. With decades of experience guiding CEOs, Bill shares: ✅ Why most leaders don’t need more time — they need more clarity ✅ How to think like a coach, not...

In this episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Thomas Willbye, Managing Director of Kierstone, to unpack the untold truths behind failed mergers—and how to fix them. With over a decade of experience in high-stakes Post-Merger Integration (PMI), Thomas shares powerful insights on why most M&A deals fail after the handshake, and what companies must do to protect their valuati...

In this powerful episode of Brilliance Talks, Simac Konkader sits down with Raymond Rodriguez-Torres — bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and Co-CEO of ALC Home Health. But this conversation goes far beyond business. Raymond shares his extraordinary journey of: - Leading global pharma and healthcare organisations - Losing his daughter, Bella, to childhood cancer - Turning grief into global impact t...